📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Lev.Borisovitch
Sarkari Yojana
India's Road Ministry signs MoU with Bihar to use river silt for national highway projects
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 04 Nov 2026, 12:31 AM
👁 19
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Bihar government have signed a memorandum of understanding to utilise river silt as a construction material for national highways, aiming to cut costs and promote sustainable practices.
New Delhi – The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Bihar state government formalised a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to incorporate river silt into the construction of national highways across the state. The agreement, signed by senior officials from both sides, outlines a collaborative framework for extracting, processing and deploying silt from Bihar's major rivers as a low‑cost, eco‑friendly alternative to conventional aggregates.
Under the MoU, pilot projects will be identified on existing highway stretches where silt can be safely used without compromising structural integrity. Technical guidelines and quality‑control mechanisms will be jointly developed to ensure that the material meets national standards for road construction.
Both governments expect the initiative to reduce dependence on imported or quarry‑sourced aggregates, lower project expenditures and contribute to waste‑reduction goals. The partnership also aligns with broader sustainability objectives outlined in the national infrastructure policy.
Implementation will be monitored by a joint steering committee, which will review progress, address operational challenges and explore scaling the approach to other states if successful.
Under the MoU, pilot projects will be identified on existing highway stretches where silt can be safely used without compromising structural integrity. Technical guidelines and quality‑control mechanisms will be jointly developed to ensure that the material meets national standards for road construction.
Both governments expect the initiative to reduce dependence on imported or quarry‑sourced aggregates, lower project expenditures and contribute to waste‑reduction goals. The partnership also aligns with broader sustainability objectives outlined in the national infrastructure policy.
Implementation will be monitored by a joint steering committee, which will review progress, address operational challenges and explore scaling the approach to other states if successful.